SB 1154: Relating to ground water. - Oregon

B-Engrossed → Enrolled · 4 edits · Jul 24, 2025

MODERATE

This bill transitions from a draft version to its final enrolled form, making substantive changes to how Oregon declares and manages ground water quality concern areas. The most significant change is the creation of a new interagency team led by the Governor to coordinate responses to ground water contamination. The bill also modifies the process for declaring concern areas, requiring the Department of Environmental Quality to recommend declarations to the Environmental Quality Commission rather than making them directly.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on ground water quality management, but the enforcement and coordination mechanisms have been strengthened by adding a formal interagency team requirement.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Governor to establish an interagency team with a designated lead agency to coordinate responses to ground water quality concern areas.

Adds specific criteria the department must find before recommending a declaration, including impacts on wells and potential future water quality exceedances.

Removes the requirement for a ground water management committee to be appointed within 90 days and deletes specific committee duties related to research, monitoring, and local action plans.

ENFORCEMENT

Changes the declaration process so the Department of Environmental Quality must recommend declarations to the Environmental Quality Commission rather than making them directly.

A-Engrossed → B-Engrossed · 6 edits · Jun 17, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Oregon's ground water quality laws to improve how the state identifies and manages contaminated areas. Key changes include updating the list of affected statutes, refining definitions of ground water areas, and modifying criteria for declaring water quality concern areas. The bill also clarifies laboratory verification requirements and adjusts timelines for potential water quality deterioration.

Scope change

The bill expands the list of statutes it amends to include ORS 561.191 and removes ORS 536.340 and 537.525 from the original list. It also modifies the definition of ground water quality concern areas to focus specifically on declarations under ORS 468B.175.

DEFINITION

Updated definition of 'ground water quality concern area' to reference only ORS 468B.175 declarations, removing the broader 'area of ground water concern' definition.

REQUIREMENT

Changed laboratory verification requirements from requiring a specific department or accredited lab to requiring results be produced or verified by an accredited laboratory with public submission of methodology.

TIMELINE

Extended the timeframe for potential water quality deterioration from 15 years to 20 years before requiring remedial action.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified criteria for declaring concern areas to focus on wells monitored by the department rather than just domestic wells, and reworded nonpoint source identification requirements.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's title page dates and removed the requirement for the Governor to appoint an agency to lead interagency teams.

SCOPE

Removed the Department of Land Conservation and Development from the list of agencies authorized to take specified actions in ground water quality areas.

Introduced → A-Engrossed · 8 edits · Jun 17, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Oregon's ground water quality laws to clarify definitions, streamline how concern areas are declared, and establish clearer interagency coordination. It adds new statutory references, modifies how the Department of Environmental Quality recommends ground water quality concern areas, and changes the role of the Governor in designating lead agencies for interagency teams.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope by adding new ORS references (215.213, 215.283, 536.410, 537.525, 568.909, 568.930, 634.016) and repealing additional statutes (468B.187). It also changes the terminology from 'ground water management areas' to 'ground water quality management areas' in several sections.

DEFINITION

Changed 'ground water management area' to 'ground water quality management area' in multiple sections for consistency.

REQUIREMENT

Modified the process for declaring ground water quality concern areas to require the Department of Environmental Quality to recommend declaration to the Environmental Quality Commission rather than directly declaring.

Added specific criteria the department must find before recommending a ground water concern area declaration, including impacts to domestic wells and potential exceedance of thresholds within 15 years.

Changed the Governor's role from designating a lead agency for an interagency team to establishing the team and designating a lead agency.

Modified the interagency team composition requirements, removing specific agencies from the mandatory list and changing the committee appointment timeline.

Removed the requirement that ground water management committees shall act in an advisory capacity.

SCOPE

Added new ORS statute references to the bill's scope, including 215.213, 215.283, 536.410, 537.525, 568.909, 568.930, and 634.016.

TIMELINE

Removed the effective date provision that would have taken effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Relating to ground water.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors